A Glass Half Full
by CrimsonRed40
Summary: When someone asks why I see the glass half full, I respond with, "I learn from great examples." One shot/short story/reflection.


"You can't have kids." My mother tells me with tears in her eyes.

I could cry too. I could sniffle and whine and get angry. I could yell at the Savior and ask "Why me!?" As though cursed to be barren.

Instead I am filled with a strange peace, a strange happiness that only the Savior can bestow. "It's okay Mom, I've always known I was going to adopt." And I have, even at age 13 I remember a call to help those who are lost, those who haven't known love.

Why did I respond this way, you ask? Unable to have children, that must sound terrible. Aren't I worried about what boys will think? Or never having children at all?

You'd think, but I have a great example of true joy.

His name is Charlie, and he's my Dad.

Charlie wakes up every morning with a smile on his face. He turns to his wife and says "I love you." She responds in kind.

Charlie works from morning till noon. He deals with angry tenants, broken sewer pipes, and unpaid rent. In response, he is always kind, and always willing to help someone out, always.

When he gets home from an undeniably hard day, he smiles. The house with 13 children will always be a wreck. After facing moody children, and dodging left over Legos, he'll sit at the table, and say grace. He will always say thanks to the one above. He is always thankful.

You may ask how my Father got this attitude, he'll respond with an "it wasn't always this way." See, Charlie didn't have a Father or idol who could show him the Saviors love. He was alone, and unguided.

As a high schooler Charlie wasn't very big, barely reaching one hundred pounds. He wasn't big enough for basketball, he wasn't strong enough for baseball. He wasn't particularly smart for science or math, and he was just a downright outcast.

He used to stay up at night and pray an angry prayer. "Why me God?! Why do I have to be the weak one, why can't I be strong or tall or smart?!"

He put words in the Saviors mouth, he didn't listen.

My Dad would end this story with the best part. "If I had been in any of those clubs, I would have never met your Mother." He'll say it as though he had dodged a bullet. "Thank God for plans bigger than us."

You see, the Savior reached him that day, saved him from another family generation of anger and depression. How? Well, by example of course. Mom took him to a church, he saw the greatest examples of a cup half full ever.

See, the Savior is God. When God said to Jesus. "Son, you must leave tonight." Jesus didn't complain about having to leave heaven for an earthly body, no, he went willingly, maybe even with a smile.

Christ, the soon to be Savior of humanity, was born in a smelly manger. As a child he and his family were always on the run from people trying to kill him. He responded by speaking out anyways.

As a man, Jesus was said to be homely looking. He was a carpenter, a low paying, low status job. Not once did he complain.

As a Savior, he let himself be nailed to a cross. He let himself be tortured, ridiculed, and put to death. Why? Because he had to save those hammering his hands to wood. He had to save those spitting on his face.

After all this, as a Savior, Jesus looked up to the sky and said. "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." Jesus, after all this, would wish forgiveness for all of them. Jesus gave one last breath, he would not give one till three days later.

So you see, I learned from my Father, my Father learned from my Savior. It's the glass half full track of mind.

Maybe you're like me, maybe you can't have children, maybe it's eating you alive. If you can't find the peace I have, know that God knows what it's like to lose a child. Know that he loves you, and know that he would like nothing more than to accept you into his family.

Also, note that "Blessed is the barren woman, for she will become a mother to many."

Maybe you're like Charlie, my Dad. Maybe you don't have a good family life, and maybe you're not as strong or tall or smart as the rest. Know that God has a plan for you, and you have a hope. That plan will become your hope, never let go of it.

Whatever you do, whatever limitation you have, know that all things are possible through Christ. Not just a few things, not just finishing your latest homework assignment, but ALL things.

If God is for us, who can stand against us?

Find his plan for you, always thank him for all that you have, and you will find a joy that surpasses understanding. You will find yourself a glass half full type of person.

-.-

**_Inspirations for the write up: God, Bible, J.J Heller._**


End file.
